January Ipsy

This months theme for ipsy was Fresh Start. The only item I knew about this months bag was the eye shadow which I wasn't overly exicted for but it ended up being a decent bag.
Ipsy is a monthly subscription service that costs $10.00 a month, but being in Canada I have to pay for shipping which is another 4.95 USD so you'll pay the difference of exchange rate. If you want to subscribe you can do so here: http://www.ipsy.com/r/3kg1
This is what was in this months bag. 

The first item I got was the Pacifica eyeshadow that I already knew about in the colour ethereal which is a nice brown colour that is something I use on a daily basis but I don't find these shadows work well for me. They aren't sold individual they are sold in 4s for $14.00 making is $3.50 per shadow.

The next item I got was a nail polish by the company Probelle. I was excited to get a nail polish since I promised not to buy any polishes for the year of 2015 since I have soo many already. This is in a pretty blue called into the blue and worth $6.00.

The next item was an eyeshadow brush by Elizabeth Mott. It is really pretty pink and I've used it and actually love it. It is worth $9.99.

The next item is a mechanical eye pencil in the colour storm which is a slate gray by the company Hikari. This is worth $13.00. It is a nice colour but doesn't have a lot of pay off, I'm sure I can make use of it though since I am in love with eyeliner lately. 

The last item I got is a lip balm by the company malin + goetz. This is worth $12.00. This is the type of product I expect in a January box being winter and it's perfect for dry lips in the winter and it smells really good. 

The overall value of this box was $44.49 which is good since I paid around 17 after shipping and exchange rate. I'm not sure if it's because I got Glossybox again or what but I've been less impressed with these bags lately. I do love the shadow brush, the lip balm and the polish but the other two just aren't that impressive. Three items out of five though is pretty good so I'm happy with it, and the bag this month was cute.

December Glossybox

This is my second Glossybox since coming back to Canada and it was the Christmas version. I'm not sure if Glossybox is always late shipping out or if it's because I'm in Canada but I didn't get this until a bit into January. It doesn't upset me that much waiting for the box but it's strange to get Christmas related items weeks after Christmas. This is what was in my box, it was a Christmas box rather than the regular pink box and it was cute! 

The first item I got was a leave in conditioner by Toni&Guy. This is a full sized item worth $16.99. I have used it a few times and I like the scent, it is very subtle but clean smelling and it works well for my frizzy fine hair without making it weighed down or greasy.

The next item I got was a 24 hour soothing and rehydrating fresh mask by the company Nuxe. This is a full sized item worth $32.00. My face is extremely dry during this winter and has been really red so I was hoping this would help, but I used it a couple times and rather than soaking into my skin it seemed to turn into a weird texture and flake off. It's full of good things so I'm going to try it again.

The next item I got was a Ciate mini paint pot in the colour all aglow. This is a full sized mini worth $10.00. It is a gold glitter polish which I have been in love with lately. I saw the other colours that they had though and I think I would have preferred one of the other two to try since I already have a few gold sparkles although I do love it. 

The next item is a miracle hand scrub by the company Rituals Cosmetics. This is a full sized item worth $17.00. It has ginseng and ginkgo biloba and smells amazing. It is great for winter since it makes your hands very soft. 

The last item is a lipstick in the colour burlesque by the company Bellapierre Cosmetics. This is a full sized item worth $19.99. I don't wear much lipstick but this is a pretty colour so I might wear it sometimes. 

  The total value of this box is $95.98 USD..with the exchange rate at this point that's around $120 CAD! I've always loved my Glossybox when they were in Canada and they have lived up to that with full sized items and decent items that are related to the season. 

December Ipsy

The theme of this months Ipsy was Thinking of You. The sneak peak I saw for this months was that every subscriber would be receiving a Tarte deluxe lights, camera, lashes 4 in 1 mascara and a NYX Butter Lip Balm. Both of these are awesome products so even if the rest of the items weren't anything I wanted I knew this would be a good month.

Ipsy is a monthly subscription service that costs $10.00 a month, but being in Canada I have to pay for shipping which is another 4.95 USD so you'll pay the difference of exchange rate. If you want to subscribe you can do so here: http://www.ipsy.com/r/3kg1

The first item I got was the NYX Butter Lip Balm in Marshmallow. This is one of the items I already knew I was getting and of all the colours that there were I'm glad I got this one since it's a pure nude and I tend to avoid coloured lip products. This is a full size item valued at $4.00.

The next item is the Tarte deluxe lights, camera, lashes mascara. This is the other item I knew about and is a mini sized which is sold at sephora for $12.00. I've heard a lot of good things about this product so I'm very excited to try it, but have a lot of other mascaras to use before I open this one. 

 The next item is a mineral eye polish by the brand Cailyn in the shade Orchid. This is a full sized item worth $15.00 and is in a nice colour that I could use daily. I don't normally use mineral polish because it's so much more difficult but this comes with a little brush in the package that allows me to use it without any mess very easily and I love the effect it has. 

The next item I got is a product from sexy hair called 450 blow out which is a heat defense blow out spray. I've been avoiding blow drying my hair since I'm trying to grow it but this will be useful the times that I do. This is a 50 mL sample worth approximately $7.58 since a full size is $18.95. 

The last item I got is a facial cleanser from the company Beauty Without Cruelty which is a vegan soap free cleanser. I'm starting to get overwhelmed with the amount of cleansers I'm getting but this is a good sized sample and sounds like a good product so I will use it. The value is approximately $2.81 for 2 fl oz.

The bag that this one came in is really cute also, it's a different shape then the normal flat ones and I think it'll be more useful to use. 

The total value of this bag was $41.39 which is the normal value for these bags I've been getting and is a good enough value for me to continue to subscribe. I will use all these items including the bag so I'm very happy with this months.

November Glossybox

I finally got my first Glossybox since it came back to Canada. It took quite a while to get to me but since it ships out so late in the month and I assume it took a little longer this month than normal with all the Canadians signing up. I read a lot of complaints that it was taking so long but I remember it was the same way when it was in Canada before. Ever since it stopped coming in Canada I've tried not to look at what the Americans were getting because I was always so jealous and I missed having it even though I had replaced it with ipsy but it just wasn't the same. This is what was in Novembers box.

 I already knew about the nail polish and was excited for it, and I knew about the moisturizer. 

 The first item is a herbal bath by the company Kneipp in the scent Balancing Lavender. I don't normally put products in my bath since I can't have bubble baths but this might be great to try out with some candles after work one day. The full size of this item costs $20 making this sample worth $3.96.

 The next item is a age defy moisturizer by the company Juice Beauty in the scent green apple. I've used this a couple times and it smells pretty good and moisturizes well. The full size of this item costs $45.00 making this sample worth $11.25.

 The next item is a hair product called instant healthy hair treatment by the company 12 benefits. I'm in the process of trying to grow my hair so this will probably help with this. The full size of this item costs $20.00 making the sample worth $5.00.

 The next item I knew about before I even signed up and was pretty excited for. It's an OPI polish in the colour Pink outside the glossybox. It is the same pink that the boxes that glossy comes in which is a nice faint pink. This is a full sized item worth $9.50.

The last item is a blush in the colour glossy pink by the company kryolan. I feel like I already have this from before but it's a light pink which I could actually use with my light skin. This is a full sized item worth $16.17.

Overall I'm happy with my first glossybox since coming back to Canada. I got a full year subscription making them a little cheaper plus I had a code to get a percentage off for the Canadian release. The overall value of this box was $45.88.

Julep Diamond Mystery Box

Julep claimed this mystery box to be the best mystery box ever. I guess this came from everyone complaining about every box in the past while. They showed two nail polishes that would be guaranteed in each box and they were Chantel and Sky which have diamond glitter. I purchased the mystery box, an add on and the shinetime promotion.

First the box itself. The box was 24.99 and was supposed to be valued at $150 and one winner would get a pair of diamond earrings. Since they already revealed Chantel and Sky and a nail polish regular price is 14.00 it was basically purchasing these two polishes and getting some free gifts with it. I was very happy with my box, it contained 6 nail polishes and 5 products.
The 5 products I got were Invisible Dry Shampoo valued at $22.00 or $17.60 maven price, Mighty nail and cuticle serum valued at $28.00 or $22.40 maven price, lip gloss in awestruck valued at $16.00, Clean Slate polish corrector pen valued at $10.00 or $8.00 maven price and Gel Eye Glider in Blackest Black valued at $12.80.

My hair is very difficult when it comes to products like this, there are very few that will work for me. This one so far has worked great I've used it a couple times, it smells good and makes my hair look good. I always use dry shampoo night before and it ends up working better for me. 

 I got one of the Mighty sticks in a previous box and I've been liking it a lot so to have a backup is always good, since I will probably use all of this fairly quickly.

I loveee Julep lip glosses. The only problem with these is the packaging is very fragile so you have to be careful or the top will completely break off. They smell really good and look nice. 

 I've never seen this product from Julep before and haven't had the chance to use it yet but it looks helpful! It reminds me of the elf makeup corrector pen. The one thing I always hated about the elf makeup pen is that the tip gets dirty before the product is fully used. This nail polish version comes with extra tips which will be helpful when I do use it so colours don't end up mixing.

I have a julep eyeliner that I use everyday and is almost gone, but it's the kajal eye glider. I haven't tried this new one yet but if it's similar to the one I already have it will get used. 

I got 6 polishes in this box, each one valued at $14.00 or $11.20 maven price.

 The colours are Chantel from BoHo Glam, Austen from BoHo Glam, Nic from Bombshell, Nancy from Bombshell, Eliana from Bombshell and Sky from It Girl. I have been wanted Austen for a while and will use all of these colours.

The total value of the box is $172.80 or maven price $144 and I will use every item in this box.

The add-on I got was 14.99 and contained 3 items - 2 products and one polish. The products I got were the Hand and Cuticle Stick worth $22.00 or $11.20 maven price and the Clean Slate Nail Polish Remover worth $14.00 or $11.20 maven price. The nail polish is in the colour Natalia from the BoHo Glam collection worth $14.00 or $11.20 maven price.

 The box that the remover comes in makes it look like it's bigger than it actually is since it has a pump in it. I haven't used it yet and have never used a remover with a pump so it'll be interesting to see how it works. 

 The nail and cuticle stick is supposed to be an amazing product, I've heard a lot about it but never used it so I'm excited for that.

Natalia is a copper metallic. I don't have a colour like this so I'll find a use for it.

The add-on had a value of $50.00 or $40.00 maven price.

When the box was for sale there was a promotion to get a free bag of items that they said was valued at $120.00 using the code SHINETIME. This included a bag, 3 products and 2 polishes. The products I got was a Sweep Eyeshadow Palette valued at $24.00 or $19.20 maven priced, Lip Gloss in Polished valued at $16.00 and an eyeshadow brush valued at $18.00 or $14.40 maven price. The polishes I got were DeAnn from Classic with a Twist and Ava from Bombshell both $14.00 or $11.20 maven price.

The bag it came with is really pretty but uncomfortable to hold with all the sequins.

 I already have one of these, and I like it a lot but wouldn't use it quick enough to have another but it was free so it's good for a Christmas gift.

I have another brush from Julep and I like it so I'm sure I'll like this one too! 

Another lip gloss, which I love. The two are slightly different colours and I love them both!

Ava is a very soft pink and DeAnn is a red which is good for this time of year. The value of the Julep items is $86.00 or $72.00 maven priced. It said it was valued at $120.00 so I'm not sure how much they think the bag would be worth.

Here are the swatches of all the polishes that I received in this box. The total value of everything was $308.80 or $256.00 maven price plus whatever the bag is worth and I paid $39.98 which is an incredible value and I will make use of every item I got so I am beyond happy with this one!